A Birthday Date
by Oneturtledove
Summary: Scully's having a bummed out birthday... until Mulder calls.
1. A Bummed Out Birthday

Disclaimer: They're not mine, but everything they say and do... I totally own that.

Spoilers: Emily?

A/N: I'm having a sucky birthday. I thought Scully should too. At least for a little while.

* * *

I hate my birthday. It's not the getting older that I hate, but the fact that no one remembers. Before I started with the FBI, back when I was close to my family, everyone remembered. Missy and I would always play hooky and go shopping. Mom would make my favorite dinner, and my brothers would call right at midnight and send presents. But this year, Missy is dead, mom is out of town, and neither one of my brother's seem to remember me.

It was one in the afternoon, and no one had called, there were no cards in my mailbox, and it really didn't feel like a birthday at all.

I spent the morning cleaning my apartment. And by cleaning, I mean that I even got toothpicks out to clean all the little crevices on my kitchen appliances. I cleaned out the fridge, which really didn't have much in it to begin with. I washed all of my clothes, ironed, and hung them up. I changed my sheets. I rearranged the furniture, then realized it was in that place for a reason, and I moved it back. I vacuumed the carpet, then thought about hiring someone to steam clean it. I cleaned the bathroom, and I swear I have never been that close to my toilet before. I dusted my bookshelves. I even cleaned out old files on my computer and updated my e-mail address book. I was just about to start polishing my wood furniture when the phone rang. I almost didn't hear it over the music, but I caught it on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Scully, it's me."

"Mulder. Hi."

Not quite a disappointment, but definitely not who I was expecting.

"I know it's kind of short notice, but I was wondering what you were doing tonight."

"Mulder, if this is a case-"

"Not a case. Not on your birthday."

I didn't know quite what to say.

"You're shocked that I remembered, aren't you?"

"A little."

"Well, I don't blame you. So what are your plans? Are you having dinner with your mom?"

"No, she's out of town."

"Are you going to drive down to Atlantic City and play 'til you win?"

That earned him a smile.

"No, I'm not."

"Are you going to go on a shopping spree and finally buy some suits with shorter skirts?"

"No Mulder."

"Are you going to let me take you out to dinner?"

"Maybe."

"And maybe a movie after that?"

"I could be persuaded."

"And will you let me take you out for dessert after that? Please?"

"Well... I guess."

"Great. I'll pick you up at 5. Wear something comfortable."

"Why so early?"

"Did you really think I was going to tell you the whole plan for the night? Just trust me."

I sighed. I hate when he says that.

"Okay, I trust you. But anything embarrassing and you're cruising for a bruising."

"I wouldn't expect any less from you. See you in a while."


	2. The First Stop on the tour

I'd never been so nervous to spend time with my partner before. That's probably because 95% of the time that we spend together, we're on the job. There's always guidelines in our friendship that are drawn specifically by our professional relationship. Weeks ago I had promised myself that tonight would be different. Tonight would be two friends. People who had chosen to be friends, not people who were forced into it. Not that I was complaining, I'm just very aware of the fact that without the FBI, Scully and would most probably not know each other. At all. A part of me would always be missing. At least I owed the FBI that.

I knocked on her door and took a deep breath as the knob turned and she appeared before me.

No one in the history of the world has ever looked so good in jeans and a sweater before.

"Hey Mulder," she greeted with a little smile.

"Hey. Happy birthday."

"Thank you."

"Ready to go?"

She nodded and grabbed her coat from the chair by the door. I helped her slip it on, and we were out the door. Once we were in the elevator, I reached over and grabbed her hand. She smiled and slid her fingers through mine, as if it were an every day occurrence.

"So... where are we going?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow. Level 2. I was in the safe zone.

"I can't tell you that just yet."

"When can you tell me?"

"I'm not saying a word. You'll figure it out."

The elevator stopped and I pulled her out and led her to my car. Once she was inside and buckled, she reached over for my hand again. It wasn't like her to initiate contact like that, but I wasn't going to point that out.

"Did you talk to your mom today?" I asked, pulling the car out into traffic.

"No," was her quiet reply. I glanced over and noticed the sad look in her eyes.

"Something going on between you two?"

"No. She just forgot. No big deal."

"Yes big deal. It's a really big deal if it makes you make that face."

"I'm not making a face, Mulder," she said, as the eyebrow went up to a level 3. I needed to tread lightly here. "It's really okay."

"I'm sure the day just got away from her, Scully."

"Maybe."

"She'll call before the day is over and I'm sure she'll have a really good excuse. Okay?"

"Alright."

I squeezed her hand a little and ran my thumb over her palm. That seemed to help so I did it again. She giggled.

"Mulder, that tickles."

"I knew I could get a smile out of you."

She rolled her eyes -I hope it was amused- and turned her attention back to the road.

"Can I ask how much longer we're going to be driving?"

"10, 15 minutes."

"Can you give me any hint as to where we're going?"

"No, I can't because all the hints I can think of would give you the wrong impression."

I could see the wheels turning in her head, but she was working on a problem that was like trying to put a puzzle together with only 7 of the 1000 pieces. It just wasn't an option.

Her demeanor changed drastically when she started to recognize where we were. She used that soft tone that she often used when I was about to earn myself an official reprimand.

"Mulder."

"Do you trust me, Scully?"

"Yes. But we're at the cemetery, Mulder."

"I know."

"This isn't shaping up to be anything I would classify as a birthday surprise."

"This really has nothing to do with your birthday. This is just something I needed to do for you."

I followed the winding path further into the cemetery, and pulled over a top a small hill. She gave me a questioning and apprehensive look, but I just got out of the car and went around to open her door. She took my hand hesitantly and I lead her off the path a little ways towards a small concrete wall.

"Scully, you were never allowed to bury your daughter. You have no place to visit her. With your dad, you have the sea, and with Melissa, you have her grave, right over there. But with Emily, you had nothing."

We were standing next to the wall now, and I knew if I didn't explain myself soon, she would start to get mad.

"I wanted you to have a place where you could say good-bye. You needed more closure."

I led her around to the front of the niche wall and pointed to a spot on the top. She gasped when she recognized the name.

_Emily Christine_

_November 8th, 1994- December 31st, 1997_

"Mulder," she whispered, reaching out and touching the small gold letters.

"I know she's not really there Scully, but I thought this might be a comfort to you."

She turned around and looked at me, and for one moment, I couldn't read her expression. Tears started to fill her eyes, and they were falling rapidly before she said anything.

"You did this for me?"

"Yes."

Her arms were around me in a tight grip almost before I knew what was happening.

"Scully," I started, tipping her chin up so I could look at her. "Is this okay?"

A ghost of a smile and a sniffle.

"Yes. Thank you."

I dropped several kisses on her hair and let her cry for a few minutes. Once the worst of it seemed to be over, I pulled away from her slightly.

"I'm going to give you a little while. I'll be in the car."

She nodded and I headed in the other direction, still hoping I had done the right thing.

When she returned to the car a while later, her tears were gone. It was obvious she had been crying, but there was a small flicker of light in her eyes that I hadn't seen in a long time. She turned to me slowly and I reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Thank you, Mulder. You have no idea how much I need that."

"It's really okay?"

"In spite of the circumstances, it's the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me."

"I was afraid you would be mad."

She shook her head and I gathered her in my arms, dropping one more kiss on her hair. We sat like that for a long time before she finally pulled away.

"Ready to go?"

She nodded and I started the car.


	3. Really Mulder? Really?

We left the cemetery and Mulder turned the radio on.

"What do you feel like, Scully?" he asked, motioning towards the radio.

"A nut," I returned. He rolled his eyes and I changed the station to something we could both tolerate before taking his hand again. As I looked down at our entwined fingers, I realized that lately I was the one who had been more... physically demonstrative. Ever since my cancer, it seemed. I had hugged him more in the last 2 weeks than I had in the last 5 years. It just seemed like the only way to end the day anymore. I'd fallen asleep on his shoulder at least 3 times, and I could barely go a day without ruffling his hair. It would have creeped me out if it didn't make me happy.

"So, Scully, how's your hand-eye coordination?"

I turned and blinked at him several times.

"What?"

"Your hand eye coordination. Scale of 1 to 10."

"Nine and a half. Why are you asking?"

"Pretty sure of yourself?"

"Yeah, plus I have my FBI training to prove it. Seriously, why do you ask?"

He just smiled. It was the smile that's so self assured; I normally just want to slap it off his face. But today it just made me grin.

"Mulder..."

"Scully..."

"Why won't you tell me where we're going?"

"I want it to be a surprise. Duh."

"But it could be a surprise now rather than later."

"Okay, the real reason is that I like knowing stuff you don't know."

"How would you even know what that's like?"

He rolled his eyes and I smiled, feeling a small victory.

We drove in silence for a while before he pulled into the parking lot of what looked like an indoor miniature golf course. I just stared at the windmills and faux sand traps for a moment before turning to look at him. He was smiling that smile again.

"Really Mulder? Really?"

"Yes ma'am. Unique, right?"

I just nodded.

"Okay, come on."

He practically bounced out of the car. I followed at a much slower pace. This was unique, yes, but too normal to be Mulder-related. I was certain he had rigged an alien to jump out of the 7th hole to warn us about the impending colonization.

"So you hate it, Scully?"

"No, it's just been a long time since I've been mini-golfing."

"You don't want to do this."

"Of course I do! It's just... out of all of the things we could have done tonight, this is the last thing I would have thought of. I mean, you always make fun of golf."

"Yeah, but this is mini-golf. It's a whole 'nother animal, Scully."

"It certainly is a surprise."

"Good. Come on! You can have a pink club."

I giggled and followed him inside.

* * *

I had tried to act like I was a terrible golfer. But by the time we hit the 9th hole and I had yet to come in over par, I knew the gig was up. Mulder wasn't going to help me putt anymore. I kind of missed his hands around mine and his voice in my ear saying "No, Scully, you have to be gentle." And now that he was on to my little game, I was slightly embarrassed about my school girl manipulation. He didn't seem to care. In fact, I think it inflated his ego a little. Until I reminded him that he had to take a six on the last hole and move on. He grumbled good-naturedly, and we walked to the last hole.

"Hey Scully, wanna put some money on this?"

"I think your confidence is ill-timed."

"Okay, how about this. I bet I can make this in 3 shots."

"Am I to assume that you want me to bet you're going to take more than three shots?"

"Yeah."

"I'll take that. What are the stakes?"

"You win, I do the expense reports for the next 10 cases. I win, you clean my bathroom."

I contemplated this for a moment. Did I really want him doing the expense reports? I'd have to do them all over again, every time. But watching him struggle through them would totally be worth it.

"Alright, it's a bet." We shook on it and he set his ball down, eyeing it and adjusting it several times before finally taking his shot.

Hole in one.

I have never smelled conspiracy more than I smelled it at that moment.

"Mulder."

"18 is my lucky number. What can I say?"

I was so distraught about having to clean his bathroom that it took me five strokes to get the ball in. He laughed at me and I knew he wouldn't forget it, and he would make sure I wouldn't either. But the look on his face and the warmth in my heart were worth it.

"We'd better get going Scully."

"Are we late for something?"

"Dinner reservations."

"Mulder, if we're going somewhere that's fancy enough to require reservations, maybe I need to change."

"Nope, you look perfect. Come on."

I slipped my hand into his once more and we made our way to the car.

* * *

A/N: I think mini-golf would be an awesome date...


	4. Amazing

A/N: Ahhhh! I can't believe I made it this far in one day! I am so stinking proud of myself it's sick. Oh well.

* * *

She looked happy. Really, and truly happy. Younger too. Her smiles were going all the way up to her eyes, and her giggles were making my stomach do flip-flops. And the best part of it was that I was making her happy. That's almost as rewarding as getting to take care of her.

"Where are we eating, Mulder?"

"You're really bad at taking it in stride, aren't you?"

"No, I just like to be prepared."

"I'll give you a hint. It's somewhere we haven't been in a long time."

"Do we order take-out or eat it there?"

"I can't tell you that."

She chewed on her lip as she thought.

"Is it Chinese food?"

I pretended not to hear her, but she saw right through me.

"Okay, so it is. Which is good because we really haven't had Chinese since before Christmas."

She continued to think and I started to worry that she was going to figure it out. It wouldn't have really mattered though. It wasn't so much where we were going as what was going to happen there.

"Mulder..." she said slowly, turning to face me. "Are we going to Wah Hings?"

I kept quiet, but my smile gave me away.

"Are you serious? We haven't been there in over a year."

"Yep. I know you like their Lo Mein, but it's kind of a long drive."

She giggled for about the 40th time (no, it wasn't bothering me) and squeezed my hand.

"You're good at surprises."

"I try."

* * *

She was surprised enough when the waiter led us to the private dining area that I almost wanted to warn her about what was through the doors. But I really wanted to see what she would do when she was truly surprised.

The waiter opened the door and flicked on the light.

"Surprise!"

Scully looked completely taken off guard. She certainly wasn't expecting her family to be waiting for us.

"What in the world..." was the only thing she could get out of her mouth. "Mom, I thought you were out of town."

"I lied," Maggie said, coming to hug her daughter.

"And Bill, I thought you had to go to the Philippines in a few days."

"Next week. I lied too."

I stepped back a little and let her talk to her family. I knew she hadn't seen Charlie in almost three years and his kids were a lot bigger than she remembered. If I thought she looked happy before, she was absolutely ecstatic now. Her eyes were actually dancing.

It was several minutes before she even remembered I was standing there. She turned around to look at me, her eyes shining with what could have been tears.

"Mulder, did you do this?"

"I had help, but yeah."

She smiled and stood on her tiptoes to hug me, her arms going around my neck.

"You're amazing, did you know that?" she whispered.

"I'm not ducking when I pass a mirror."

She laughed and kissed my cheek before releasing me.

* * *

The conversation in the room was light-hearted and I had never heard Scully laugh so much. Well, there was that one time when she'd had too much coffee and ice-cream, but this was genuine laughter. I hadn't ever spent so much time with her family in a positive situation. I usually only saw her mother in the hospital, and it wasn't a huge secret how Bill felt about me. Either his opinion changed or he was just being nice though, because we actually talked to each other, and I didn't see any hostility in his eyes.

We were just finishing our tea and fortune cookies when Scully leaned a little closer to me and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Tired?"

"It's been a long day."

"Want to skip the movie?"

"Nope. When do we need to leave?"

I checked my watch and realized that we were actually running about five minutes late. We made our excuses quickly and she promised everyone she would meet them at her mother's in the morning for breakfast. Once outside the restaurant, she pulled her coat closer around her thin frame and shivered a little. I slid my arm around her shoulders and she leaned into me with a sigh.

"Mulder, I can't believe you did all that."

"Your mom got everyone here."

"But it was your idea. No one has ever done something like that for me before."

"Well Scully, it's been a hard year. You deserve this night. You deserve about 100 of these nights."

"Thank you."

Her voice was barely a whisper, and I turned her to face me so I could wipe the tears off of her cheeks.

"I love you, Scully. I'd do anything for you."

She smiled.

"I love you too."

I kissed her forehead softly.

"Come on, lady, there's still two more stops on this crazy train."

* * *

A/N: Sorry I didn't have more family stuff... I'm not good at writing big group scenes like that.


	5. Unconventional is alright

A/N: I thought I had the momentum the other night... apparently I didn't. This chapter had a mind of it's own... and that mind likes to write in run-on sentences. Oh well.

* * *

"So you and Bill seemed to be getting along alright."

Mulder glanced over at me and grinned.

"He was tolerating me, Scully. Your brother will always hate me. There's one in every family."

"One what?"

"One Bill."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Every family has one person that has this rigid view of life and who wants things their own way. They barely accept their own family members, much less outsiders. Your family has Bill, my family has Uncle Hank."

"Uncle Hank?"

"Yeah, my dad's brother. He's very formal all the time and you can tell that he doesn't approve of anything you say. He's suspicious of everyone-"

"Sounds like someone I know."

"And he let's everyone know exactly how he feels about them."

"That's worse than Bill."

"It is. I'm just saying, there's one in every family."

"I'll give you that."

We fell into comfortable silence. I don't think we have ever had an uncomfortable silence. I always feel like I can do or say or be anything in front of Mulder, and it won't change his opinion of me. I never feel that comfortable with my family. I don't think I've cried in front of my family since I was five, but Mulder saw me cry last week. I blamed it on PMS, as crying in front of him isn't a common occurrence anyway, but I knew that I could. Crying in front of my family would be weird. They wouldn't understand. Mulder just gets me. He knows things that I need before I even know I need them. I can tell him about my nightmares and he listens rather than trying to understand what the dream means and why I had it. I'm sure he does that too, but he doesn't do it in front of me. He allows me space, but is right there next to me when I need it. He doesn't pressure me to talk about my cancer or Melissa or Emily, but I know he would drop everything to listen. He cares for me in ways I didn't think anyone ever would. Sometimes he still ditches me, and sometimes we fight, and sometimes I want to run away from him and not look back, but I know that the love we have for each other (while confusing and unclassifiable) is deeper than the love that most people have for their spouses. And yes, sometimes that scares me, but most of the time it's the only thing that makes me feel safe.

I glanced over at him and smiled. I may love him dearly, but he is one of the most aloof men in the world. I couldn't believe that he had planned all this, much less remembered my birthday. Maybe he was doing it because of Emily. Maybe he thought I needed to laugh and relax for once. Maybe he was trying to take my mind off of it. I sighed. That wasn't the case. He was doing it because he thought I deserved it, just like he said. Far be it from Mulder to coddle me. Unless I ask for it, of course.

He turned the car into the parking lot of an old theatre in a part of town that I had never been to. It probably only had one or two screens and seated less than 300.

"Mulder, it looks closed."

"It is."

"But-"

"It's open for us."

"Mulder. I'm not breaking and entering on my birthday."

"Then what are you going to do with that new lock-picking kit I got for you?"

I rolled my eyes.

"It's nothing like that, Scully. Come on."

I followed him into the building where he had a short, whispered conversation with what appeared to be the manager. He then took my hand and led me into theatre 3.

"Mulder, there's no one else here."

"I know."

"I'm not getting the joke."

He sighed.

"The theatre is ours for the night."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"What are we seeing?"

He shrugged and pulled me towards the back of the theatre where we sat in the middle of the last row. I sat down, still eyeing him warily. I wasn't so sure that I trusted his choice in movies. For all I knew, we were seeing the latest college "comedy."

The lights went down and I sighed, settling back into my chair. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat. This spelled disaster. It spelled annoyance. It spelled-

"_Casablanca_? Mulder!"

"It's your favorite movie. Seemed appropriate."

"You just pulled the heck out of every stop tonight, didn't you?"

"The stops are still writhing in pain somewhere."

I grinned as he pulled me closer to him.

"You know I have to buy you like... a roller coaster for your birthday now, right?"

He just chuckled and kissed my forehead.

"Make sure it goes upside down."

"You got it."

"Watch the movie, Scully."

* * *

By the time Rick and Ilsa saw each other for the first time, I was practically in Mulder's lap. Well, maybe it wasn't that bad, but we were pretty close. The hand of his that was resting on my hip was still minding its own business, but I was keeping an eye on it. Every once in a while, he would lean down to whisper something to me and my chest would start to feel like it was bursting. A few times I almost started to panic. Friends don't do this. They don't cuddle like they're married. They don't play with each other's hands, they don't get as close as they can to kissing without actually kissing. They don't spend ninety percent of their time together. They don't think about each other the other ten percent. That's not friends. Friends are "hey buddy" and a punch on the arm.

_We're unconventional_ I told myself. It made me feel better. I could do unconventional. It was practically my career.

"Scully?"

"Hmm?"

"Movie's over."

I had been thinking so hard, I had missed the last 20 minutes.

"Oh. I must've fallen asleep."

He knew I was lying, and I knew he knew I was lying, and he knew that I knew that he knew I was lying, but one of the things I love about him is he lets me get away with lies like that.

"Do you still want to go out for dessert?"

"I don't know."

"Then let's go back to your place and I'll whip up plan B."

"Plan B?"

"I had a feeling you might be tired by now, so I had an alternative."

"You totally win every award there is for birthday planning. You're getting a plaque."

He smiled and helped me from the chair before we left the theatre.


	6. I dunno!

I thought she might fall asleep in the car, but her little "nap" in the theatre had left her refreshed. She swung our hands between us as we walked to the car, and I could swear there was a little skip in her step. To say I was proud of myself would be an understatement.

"Good birthday, Scully?"

She nodded as I unlocked the car door for her.

"Perfect."

"Good."

She stretched up on her toes and kissed me quickly, and was in the car and buckled before I knew what was going on. I caught my breath and walked around to my side of the car. We drove in silence for a while before my curiosity got the best of me.

"Scully, what was that back there?"

"I dunno."

"You don't know?"

"I dunno."

"Scully!"

"I don't know, Mulder! I just did it, okay? I wasn't thinking, I'm sorry."

Crap, now I made her feel bad.

"Don't be sorry Scully. I'm not mad."

"Yes you are. I won't do it again, I promise."

"Scully, don't say that."

I turned and faced her, and she looked for all the world like a five year old that had broken her mother's favorite vase.

"I'm not mad at you. I could never be mad at you. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all. But you do have my permission to catch me off guard like that anytime you want. Okay?"

She nodded. I had never seen her look so shy before. It almost made me laugh, but that probably would have made the situation worse. Instead I took her hand and laced our fingers together.

"You are going to do that again eventually, aren't you?"

She giggled and gave me her best smile.

"You give me time to process it, and yes, I'll do it again. Although you're going to have to meet me halfway or buy me taller heels next time."

I knew it probably wouldn't happen again for a while. She takes a long time to process things to begin with, and the prospect of adding another element to our already multi-faced relationship was going to take a lot of thinking on both our parts. Neither one of us are very good at things like this. But at least I knew it would happen again. For now I would let it out of my mind until she brought it up.

I parked my car next to hers in the lot and we both got out. I made sure to grab the grocery bag from my trunk, but didn't let her see what was inside.

"Please, Mulder?"

"Nope."

She gave me the puppy dog face all the way to her front door.

"Mulder."

I shook my head and reached into her coat pocket for her keys, and opened the door. She sighed and went inside, draping her coat over the chair by the door.

"You can't always keep secrets until the very last second, Mulder."

"I think I've done pretty well tonight. Now, you go ahead and take a bubble bath, and I will make dessert."

"You're going to cook?"

"Give me about half an hour. And if you sneak out here and try to see what I'm doing, you're going to get a pinch to grow an inch."

"In light of our previous discussion, that may be advantageous."

"Get out of here."

She giggled and went into the bathroom, but not before tossing an "You'd better clean up your messes, Mulder!" over her shoulder. Predictable.


	7. Sweetheart

A/N: By far, the hardest chapter to write! None of the sentences were flowing correctly, Scully didn't sound like Scully, and I couldn't get them to the last line. But finally, I got it and I am proud. This is the first (and probably only) story I have written in first person, and I am glad I survived.

* * *

As I sat in the tub filled with extra bubbles, my thoughts wandered to the man who was currently making a mess of my kitchen. I hadn't meant to kiss him, it just kind of happened. I didn't really realize that I had done it until it was over. And it had only lasted a fraction of a second. The more I thought about it, the less I liked it. It wasn't so much that I had kissed Mulder as it was that it didn't happen the way I always thought it would. It's not like I haven't entertained the idea before. In my mind, it usually happens at the end of a case when we're both wired from the thrill of victory. We're flirting shamelessly and suddenly he leans over and we're kissing and there's fireworks. Usually I stop thinking right there because I know I won't be able to face him for real if I go any further. This kiss... it may have been Mulder, the only man I want to kiss for the rest of my life, but it left a lot to be desired.

I sighed and let the water out of the tub before wrapping up in a robe and heading for my room. I could smell something sweet from the kitchen, but there was no indication that anything was burning. I quickly dried off and changed into pajamas, not caring that I didn't look fancy. Compared to the hospital look I often sported, my cotton pajamas were practically Calvin Klein.

"Mulder, can I come out now?" I hollered. He laughed.

"Yes please."

I followed his voice out to the living room where he was sprawled on the couch, thumbing through a medical journal.

"Was I in there too long?"

"An hour."

"Sorry."

"It's alright."

"So what's for dessert?"

He grinned.

"Sit down and I'll be right back."

I obeyed and could hear some rustling noises from the kitchen for a few moments before he came out holding a plate covered with a dish towel.

"Ta-da!" he exclaimed, pulling the towel off with what was supposed to be a magicians flourish. I couldn't help laughing and the silly look on his face and the simplicity of the dessert. Rice Krispie Treats.

"What's so funny?"

"How did you know that Rice Krispie Treats are my favorites?"

"I did my research," he answered, handing me one. It was still slightly warm and I smiled as he sat down next to me.

"Mulder, why did you do this today?"

"I told you already. You deserve a day like this."

"That's not what I meant."

"What did you mean?"

His hand was covering mine and I could feel his eyes on me.

"Mulder, do you love me?"

That came out a little blunter than I had planned.

"You know I love you," he answered, reaching up to tuck a stand of hair behind my ear.

"No, I mean... this was just so much. You thought of everything. You planned it and you managed to keep it a secret and you were even willing spend time around Bill. This wasn't just an ordinary birthday. In order to do something like this, you'd have to really, really love me."

"Scully, I really, really love you."

"Really?" was all I could manage to croak out around the tears that were about to fall. He chuckled and reached over to wipe my tears away.

"Yes. Really."

The dessert was long forgotten as he pulled me into a hug.

"I've loved you for a long time, Scully. A very long time. You're my partner and my best friend. You're everything to me. I came too close to losing you, sweetheart. I needed for you to know how much I love you, just in case something happens again. I've wanted to tell you so many times, but I couldn't figure out how to make you believe me."

He pulled away gently and started to kiss the tears from my eyes and cheeks. It was almost too much and I had to reach up and stop him.

"Mulder," I started, hoping I could get it out before my voice left me. "I love you too. More than anything."

"I know, sweetheart."

Before I knew what I was doing, my hand snaked around his neck and pulled him closer. He smiled as he realized what was going on. His eyes asked and mine told and he closed the gap and kissed me. It was better than the first one, and one hundred times better than the ones I had imagined. It was soft and innocent, but conveyed more emotion than I could properly fathom. He pulled away after a moment, and tucked me under his chin.

"So, do you need you need to process that?"

I giggled as we shifted to a more comfortable position on the couch. He held me gently, one hand running up and down my back. I almost purred.

"Mulder, this isn't going to end once the clock strikes 12, is it?"

"No, it's not."

"Can we stay like this for a while?"

He nodded and kissed the end of my nose.

"As long as you want."

He pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over us.

"Hey, thanks for being born."

"No problem."

"Go to sleep, Scully. You're exhausted."

"You'll stay all night?"

"Yes, I'll stay."

"Goodnight Mulder," I yawned, beginning to feel the effects of the day.

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

I fell asleep perfectly happy, perfectly content, and completely safe. How he was going to top this birthday, I didn't know, but I couldn't wait to find out.

* * *

A/NII: thanks for sticking with me through this whole thing. It sure was fun, but now I am on the lookout for a Mulder and I'm getting depressed about the prospects. *sigh*


End file.
